Leadership Briefings

Issue LB.54

This Ofsted report focuses on the introduction of the Diplomas in their second year of operation and is an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the Diploma programme. The main strengths were in the ‘principal learning’, the main subject content of the Diplomas, where learners were often well-motivated and made good progress in lessons. However, there were weaknesses in the links between ‘principal learning’ and the other components of the qualification, particularly functional skills, and additional and specialist learning.

The Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) is the fourth national birth cohort study in Britain. It has so far followed up the ‘Children of the New Century’ four times, and is set to track them through their teenage years and into adulthood. This fourth study from the Institute of Education, University of London, has found that almost one in four boys in the UK is already “anti-school” by the age of seven. Boys of this age are more than twice as likely as girls to say they do not like school, and twenty-four per cent do not enjoy primary school, compared with only 10 per cent of girls.

This new report by Adobe reveals the high value placed on creativity skills in school leavers by employers and universities - skills such as creative thinking or the ability to present information in a creative and compelling way. Despite this, the research shows there is little evidence of it in students applying for jobs or university placements.

This new report details the results of a groundbreaking survey that was carried out by the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations (NCPTA), National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and National Governors Association (NGA) in partnership with Durex. It for improvements in training and resources for teachers delivering sex and relationship education (SRE).

This research, carried out by Bristol University, blames the abolition of league tables in Wales for pupils in Wales faring worse at GCSE level than their English counterparts. The research found that the lack of public naming and shaming of badly performing schools had removed the pressure upon them to improve. The result is that an average student in England will outperform an average student in Wales by two GCSE grades.

This report by The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development provides detailed benchmarking data on absence levels, causes and costs. The research shows that workers in the public sector are taking an average of 10 days off sick per year with stress being the leading cause of absence; this is 3 days more than workers in the private sector. It also highlights the methods that employers are using to manage and reduce absence. The report additionally covers the effect that the recession has had on absence levels and features two best practice case studies.

In recent years the legal profession in England and Wales has become increasingly diverse, according to this University of Westminster research, funded by the Legal Services Board. Yet statistics demonstrate that the profession is segmented and stratified on gendered, raced and classed lines, suggesting that the opportunities available to young lawyers are not equally distributed. Research also indicates that white graduates from higher socio-economic groups are over-represented in large City firms and at the Bar, while BME women from lower socio-economic groups are concentrated in small High Street practices.

This new research from CfBT Education Trust and the University of Bath claims that the lack of a capable governing body is not a neutral absence for a school, it is a substantial disadvantage. The research also identified significant differences in the effect of governing bodies in primary and secondary schools.

SEAL is a comprehensive, whole-school approach to promoting the social and emotional skills that underpin effective learning, positive behaviour, regular attendance, staff effectiveness and the emotional health and well-being of all who learn and work in schools. The aims of this Department of Education evaluation of secondary SEAL were to (a) assess the impact of secondary SEAL on a variety of outcomes for pupils, staff and schools, and (b) examine how schools implemented SEAL, with particular reference to the adoption of a whole-school approach.

The aim of this Ofsted survey was to evaluate the impact of Children’s Trusts in six local authorities on improving the lives of children and young people, particularly those whose circumstances made them potentially vulnerable. This survey identifies best practice in the work of the six Children’s Trusts. Case studies illustrate the links between partnerships through the strategic work of the Children’s Trusts and effective practice with individual children and young people.

The Coalition Government is committed to introducing a pre-16 Pupil Premium for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds in England from September 2011. The new administration has also promised that a ‘significant Pupil Premium will be funded outside the schools budget’. This report from the CfBT Education Trust is primarily about raising funding for a pre-16 Pupil Premium rather than distributing funding through a pre-16 Pupil Premium. Discussion of the distribution of funding concentrates on the argument that at 14 the Pupil Premium should be paid to disadvantaged young people attending FE colleges as well as schools.

This new Department for Education report showing Key Stage 1 attainment by pupil characteristics has revealed the need for a greater focus and emphasis on the teaching of reading and writing in primary schools. Almost one in five seven-year-olds in England did not reach government targets for literacy this year, although results improved overall. Boys did better in reading and writing than last year - but still scored lower than girls - with one in four not reaching the level expected. Children on free school meals and those with special educational needs continue to perform least well.

This National Audit Office report has found that the Department for Education has made good progress in improving take-up and achievement in areas such as A-Level maths and GCSE Triple Science. However, there has been less success in increasing the number of science teachers, improving take-up of A-Level physics and raising the standards of school science facilities.

This study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation examined how parents teach young children (aged 5 to 12) about alcohol. It explored parental attitudes towards alcohol, and family drinking practices, using a national survey and in-depth case studies. It found that: Parents are the most important influence on young children&#39;s attitudes to alcohol; Parents are largely successful at conveying the social pleasures and risks of drinking at home and the message that alcohol should be consumed in moderation; There are gaps in what children learn from home such as the health consequences of drinking and the potential risks of drinking outside the home.

This new publication from think tank, Demos, and arts education charity Creativity, Culture and Education (CCE), looks at how children exposed to creative learning in early years education are the key to a prosperous modern economy. The report argues that children with access to creative learning in early years education are more likely to succeed in adult life by developing the skills they need to perform in the work place and wider society as entrepreneurs and citizens.

The government has signalled a return to traditional educational values in this new White Paper, which sets out wide-ranging plans for school reforms in England, with schools freed from the constraints of central Government direction and teachers placed firmly at the heart of school improvement.

This Ofsted report draws from the practice of 12 outstanding schools in different parts of England to illuminate what works in teaching children to read. The best primary schools in England teach virtually every child to read, regardless of the social and economic circumstances of their neighbourhoods, the ethnicity of their pupils, the language spoken at home and most special educational needs or disabilities.

We live in a connected world where technology empowers people to connect with one another, opens up access to knowledge, information and tools and inspires people to actively participate in their community. This research whitepaper from Dell examines the four building blocks of success, and how policymakers can help improve opportunities and results for students by incorporating them into education legislation and funding.

Research by NFER has found that in the first new school building to open, pupil attitudes to school and the school environment improved substantially. However, to date no research has been published on attendance and attainment outcomes for young people. This research suggests that whilst at this stage attainment at BSF schools is not yet improving at the rate possibly expected at the start of the programme, there are potentially some early signs of improved attendance.